CITY BOY GEEKINESS

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LET'S CONNECT

In less than 12 hours, we'll be saying goodbye to 2013 and welcoming a new year. New shows will premiere, seasons will return from their breaks and in the coming few months, the axe will start dropping as struggling performers are cut from next year's line-up. With the holidays nearing its end, many programs are set to resume this week. New year, new possibilities!

From my personal list of shows that aired in the Fall/Summer, I've come up with a few hopes and predictions for the rest of the season. Obviously, I will mention stuff that's happened on the show so this a SPOILER alert to anyone who has yet to watch so turn back now!

HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER

The series finale is set for March 2014 and the story is slowly (as in VERY slowly) inching its way toward introducing Ted to the Mother. With the final season centred on Barney and Robin's wedding, I would like the last few episodes to tie the Mother's involvement and connection to the group as this wedding shouldn't be the sole focus. Plus, a twist at the end is always appreciated (my guess is either Ted or the Mother has died in the future).

THE ORIGINALS

So much is yet to come with Hayley's baby and the mystery surrounding its upcoming birth could change the course for the remainder of the season. New creature? New powers? In the meantime, I would love if Davina's story continues to be a major plot arc as The Harvest could prove to be a climactic season finale, especially now since she also has Josh and a newly "freed" Cami on her side to protect her.

THE WALKING DEAD

With the prison gone and the group splintered, it's become a game of survival until they find each other again. New characters are going to be introduced but a few current ones will obviously have to go to make way for new storylines. Carol should hopefully reunite with the team, Beth/Maggie need to survive after losing their father and some resolution should be done about Judith's disappearance. Spoiler: she dies in the graphic novels, but it shouldn't be left ambiguous.

REIGN

Nostradamus predicted the future but Mary's relationship with Francis is still unclear (on the show... not real life). Giving her virtue to Francis and now running off with Bash, this will add a new layer to the love triangle and make things more complicated if she returns to French Court. For Mary and her friends, the death of Aylee could leave the girls rethinking their future and place while at French Court. New love interest for Lola? Pregnancy for Kenna? Commitment for Greer? All predictions and I can't wait!

TEEN WOLF

A bloody Stiles?! Maybe the latter half of this season could be where Stiles becomes a supernatural creature? Even Lydia is now something more than just the popular girl and even as a human, Alison is a hunter. Always the comic relief, it would be interesting to see how he copes with a new curse... and maybe a new love interest for Teen Wolf?

ARROW

I've got a lot to catch up on with Arrow and I'm still a little behind with the second season. However, whatever the case may be, I do hope that Felicity and Oliver start dating or continue their flirtatious moments. They possibly have the best chemistry that resulted from an unexpected pairing. Until Laurel becomes the Black Canary and Flash has his own series, I can focus on this potential romance as a possibility.

REVENGE

What a midseason finale! Emily's shooter was revealed to be her new husband Daniel after he learned the truth of her conniving ways. She went overboard with two shots to the stomach and now the upcoming previews show that she has amnesia. For the first time ever, the Graysons have the upper-hand against Emily and it would be great to see how Daniel reacts to this new predicament. Will they stay married? Will he try to kill her again? Plus, what has happened to Victoria? Since she might be framed, I'd like for the tables to turn in her favour and have the Queen Grayson hold the power for once.

GLEE

This is not so much as a prediction but a recommendation for Glee. I'm a fan of the series but the tone/quality has drifted so far from where it originally started. The show has split into two stories: the New York story and the glee club story. Since there will be another graduation coming up, once the last of the original glee club members have graduated, the main story should shift to New York solely. There's potential there for a rounded plot with many of the original Glee club members and it's clearly the main focus that's keeping its core fans.

ONCE UPON A TIME

Reboots are a tricky thing and Once Upon A Time is taking a gamble with its latest twist. Spoiler: Peter Pan ushered a new curse which caused Regina to remove every fairytale character from Storybrooke and return them to the Disney World without their memories. Has everyone forgotten their memories? Hook hasn't and he's reached out to Emma for help. I hope that all of the good that came from Storybrooke isn't gone because the "Happily-Ever-Afters" throughout the three seasons (i.e. Ariel, Cinderella) were sweet to see and I wouldn't want them gone. If something were to have gone wrong with Peter Pan's curse, that could be an interesting development.

THE CARRIE DIARIES

Sebastian's gone, Walt's kicked out of his home, Maggie and Mouse are alone, and Carrie is only just starting her adventure in New York. The future of this teen drama is still on the bubble but before its last remaining episodes, a few Sex and The City origin stories might be needed. Graduation is coming and Carrie will obviously make her way to New York but who will she meet there? Miranda? Charlotte? The infamous Stanford? Someone new should be on their way to help the series; Samantha can only do so much.

2 BROKE GIRLS

Many highs and lows for the cupcake shop throughout the three seasons. Success can't come soon enough but after the second season, it shouldn't feel rushed. What about Max's mother and Caroline's mother? These two important characters have been unseen, but we've heard a lot about them. Having one of them appear could shake up the show and add a new level to the girls' backstories. Plus, someone should experience a new romance...even if it's Han.

THE VAMPIRE DIARIES

NO MORE NEW DOPPELGANGERS! The whole Silas/Amara/Qetsiyah love triangle arc helped to add some backstory to the curse but it did little to add excitement - it was more of a distraction to end off a Season Four plot. With that arc finished (hopefully for now), Katherine will be a main focus and the mystery of the knife should be revealed. I don't think she'll die (yet) but her collapse will cause the group to take a drastic action.

MARVEL'S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.

Simple prediction but an important one: more Marvel characters will appear. If Smallville and Arrow can get away with using characters from its universe then SHIELD could be ready to have a few familiar faces pop up. The season so far has been without superheros or superpowers for the large part and with the remainder of its first season still airing, someone is bound to appear.

PRETTY LITTLE LIARS

With a season and a half left in the series (potentially), there are a few more bombshells left to be revealed. Ezra, now confirmed to be a member of A team (or the enemy of A team), could start the fight of his life to find Alison, especially now that she's revealed to be alive. In the battle between Ezra and Alison, I think a few more people will be revealed as part of the conspiracy and Ezra won't make it past the season alive.

AMERICAN HORROR STORY: COVEN

A few more episodes left in the mini-series and it looks like the two queens of New Orleans are coming together against the hunters. While it looks to become a war of witches against hunters, not all will survive and I predict that potentially the witches may turn on each other at the end. Who is the Supreme? My guess is either Misty Day, Zoe or Nan.

BONUS

SLEEPY HOLLOW & THE BLACKLIST

I only promised 15 predictions but these two shows carry simple predictions that I wanted to throw in. On Sleepy Hollow, Ichabod learned that he had fathered a son with Katrina after death while Liz is still searching for her birth father on The Blacklist. My guess for both shows: Red is Elizabeth's father and Jeremy Crane will return at the season finale from being buried alive by the coven.

Agree or disagree with my predictions? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

The Dark Knight returns for another installment of the hit Arkham games. I absolutely fell in love with last year's Batman: Arkham City after secretly playing my brother's copy and it was hands-down the best game of the year. Never did I think that a superhero game could achieve more than as simply as a movie tie-in. The series surpassed my expectations and suffice it to say, I was excited to check out the latest game in the series. The latest video game I will be reviewing is the Arkham prequel: Batman: Arkham Origins.

The Story: Set years prior to the events of Batman: Arkham Asylum (the first game in the series), Bruce Wayne has started his adventures as the Dark Knight and began his mission toward ending the criminal control in Gotham City. Batman: Arkham Origins takes place on Christmas Eve when criminal mastermind and mob boss Black Mask issues a cash challenge to several highly-trained and powerful assassins to rid Gotham City of Batman.

Batman: Arkham Origins delves into the early days of Batman, as well as the beginnings of several notable characters and villains like (the future) Commissioner Gordon, the Penguin, Deathstroke, Bane, Barbara Gordon (the future Batgirl/Oracle), and the clownish psychopath Joker to name a few.

Where To Play:Arkham Origins is available on PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii U.

The Good: Batman: Arkham Origins excels with its immerse storyline and open world. The success of the previous game proved that the developers could integrate its characters, the landscape and the extras together to make a cohesive story. While there was a linear plot to follow, I enjoyed all the hidden easter eggs and side-missions that deviated from the main story.

Similar to the previous installment, the main and supporting characters were the biggest draw. I enjoyed the interactions that Batman had with the likes of Joker, Anarky, The Mad Hatter and the many characters he encountered while roaming Gotham City. I grew up loving Batman (i.e. watching the movies, the cartoon TV show, games, action figures) and it was great to meet new characters while revisting the familiar ones.

The Bad:Arkham Origins only suffered from two negatives that left me questioning certain aspects. The first were the technical glitches that kept popping up during loading screens and saving. At first I wondered if there was an issue with my console, but the problems persisted when the game froze/stopped at certain points and wouldn't transition to the loading screen. While it only happened a few times, it was still enough to notice.

The final negative was the ending. Compared to Arkham Asylum and Arkham City, Arkham Origins presented a lackluster conclusion and boss battle to finish the game. The final scene and battle, which preceded itself after a somewhat easy fight, didn't last more than two minutes. Without giving anything away in terms of the villain and battle, I expected a much more thrilling conclusion.

The Results: 8/10!Batman: Arkham Origins had a lot to live up to in terms of expectations. Since it's a prequel compared to a sequel, a lot of what was introduced was exposition and reintroduced many aspects to people new to the Batman universe. Characters, whether main or supporting, delivered great performances and were more than just filler of having a character on screen. The technical glitches presented a slight problem with the gameplay and the lackluster conclusion didn't payoff after what was up until that point a satisfying story. If you're a fan of Batman (or like action games), this is the game for you. It's also a great filler until the next Arkham game is released that continues the story after Arkham City.

Agree or Disagree with the review? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Only one week left before the "death" of Emily Thorne.

The penultimate episode before this season's climax is approaching in a few days and we caught a glimpse into some pre-wedding fun. Revenge has suffered the growing pains of transitioning from a lackluster sophomore season: figuring out how to be serious while also embracing its ridiculously soapy fun. The show has tried to erase its previous faults and in the process, it's bringing back the things we love slowly: the witty jokes, romance and the fact that Revenge doesn't take itself too seriously. For the continued success of Revenge, it needs to remember these factors or else it will continue to fall.

This week on Revenge, Daniel is conflicted between his love for Sarah and Emily's fake pregnancy, Lydia storms the manor, Margaux chooses Jack, and Victoria throws a wrench into Emily's plan.

PICTURE-PERFECT LIES

Daniel has not had an easy road when it comes to love. Emily isn't trustworthy, Ashley was merely using him and Sarah nearly died because of Daniel - he doesn't make the smartest decisions when it comes to love. After finding out Emily is pregnant, the conflicted Grayson continues to play groom while posing for wedding photos and caring for his pregnant fiance. Sarah is none too pleased as Daniel promised to live his life with his true love; while he didn't sleep with Sarah during the last episode, we find out his desires: to be with Sarah. He receives some advice from Charlotte and he lets Sarah go to be a responsible man for his unborn child.

If Daniel were ever to have a chance at REAL happiness, I hope he finds it. Emily has lied enough to him and if the choice came between death or being with Sarah, he needs to experience true love again. It's either that or continuing to live life while making unintentional Titantic references. Really?! He had to drop the necklace into the ocean?

A STORY NO MORE

Margaux, the ever respectable writer, decides this episode to give up the story of a lifetime. In the matter of minutes, she gives up her ambition to uncover Conrad's secret instead to protect Jack from a potential unforeseen death. I can respect Jack telling Margaux the truth about Conrad and yet I don't think this will be the end of this plotline. She's only a few steps away from the truth and all she needs to legitimize her magazine is a story like this.

BACK TO BED

Lydia is a dose of underhanded evil and social climbing that's been sorely missed on Revenge. Everything she's done in the first season had an air of snobbery and manipulation that I really missed when she was revealed to be alive. Her role as a news source may have ended but her mission to take down Emily has not. Lydia finds the New Year's Eve photo in Conrad's photo albums and now the social climbing enemy has the ammunition needed to fight Emily; not just pushing her off the steps.

A NEW LIFE

Aidan doesn't work for me. I get that he loves Emily and they have this bond that was slowly introduced during the second season (at some times to a painful degree) but it seemed forced compared to the simplicity of Daniel and Jack. The equally vengeful Brit proposes to Emily (which she accepts) and yet I'm wondering if this will really last? This looks all too simple for the pair to run off into the sunset. With half a season left, something has to go wrong for this plan to end in flames... or bullets.

RSVP DENIED

Oh Victoria, how I enjoy you so. With a single mark of a pen, Victoria can send Emily's plan into a nosedive. The Queen Grayson is refusing to attend Emily's wedding and preventing herself from being framed for Emily's murder. Moments like these remind me of the first season: Victoria and Emily keeping each other on their toes, neither is winning in the fight but both are delivering equally manipulative tactics. Well done!

How will Emily get Victoria to attend the wedding? Will Margaux return to the story? What does Lydia have up her sleeve now? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

When is too comfortable not the right fit?

The young Ms. Bradshaw and crew were put to the test as their relationships crashed and burned on The Carrie Diaries. Some excelled with taking risks for the future while some couldn't live without staying in the comfort zone.

This week on The Carrie Diaries, Carrie tackles her first topic of writing sex, Maggie finds a friend in Sebastian, Larissa bonds with Samantha, and Walt sets a brave face for Bennett.

THE FIRST OF MANY

Weaver, the young writer and Carrie's current beau, is the lucky man to earn her heart and V-card in the last episode. Even though the couple are enjoying their new found bliss, Carrie is still pretty new to talking about sex in public or to her friends. An essay at the New School - Carrie's writing program - offers Carrie a chance to explore a topic that would take her out of her comfort zone: sex. She's ready to start but Weaver isn't as agreeable; he tries to talk her out of the story idea and focus on something safer. Carrie may not be fully ready to discuss sex now but the future sex columnist isn't ready to throw in the towel yet and writes the story regardless.

I never had a problem with Weaver. He seemed like a good match for Carrie; a more stable boyfriend than Sebastian and definitely more likeable than George. His decision to read Carrie's diary was a bad move and I was unsure if the couple would survive after that. They've called it quits for now and it may be for the best but I wouldn't expect them to be a part for much longer. The boy who took Carrie Bradshaw's virginity won't disappear that easily.

BABY ON BOARDMaggie is the victim of the teen drama trope. A night of passion has left her pregnant and alone while carrying the child of her secret affair. She reaches out to the father but is spurned to fend off the responsibility alone. With nowhere left to turn, Maggie seeks Sebastian's comfort - first by coming onto him (only to be rejected) and then by explaining the situation of being pregnant. Maggie has a friend in Sebastian but how long does Maggie have until she has to make a decision: keep the baby, adoption or an aboration?

BURNING LOVEWalt and Bennett are the perfect romance on The Carrie Diaries. I love their interactions and Walt's personal story of overcoming his fears to be with the guy he loves. For this episode Bennett moves into a new apartment in a scary neighbourhood as Stanford, Bennett's roommate and Carrie's future BFF, has decided to live the year in Ibiza. Walt, while scared at first, overcomes his fears and sprays himself with mace in the process.

DOUBLE TROUBLEThe two queens of sexual drama come to a head when their desires intersect. To celebrate Larissa's one-year anniversary with Harlan, she engages in a threesome with Samantha. Unfortunately, Harlan isn't able to make the meeting but the two girls don't waste the opportunity, they succumb to the pleasure and film the experience for Harlan's future enjoyment. BACK-UP PLANMouse possibly had the most frustrating plotline this week. She refused to apply to a back-up school and focus solely on her dreams at Harvard before realizing that having a safety school was the best advice. We've all had that friend who's safety school was our top choice. Ugh! Really Mouse?!Was it too soon to get rid of Weaver? Will Samantha and Larissa connect again? How will Maggie cope with her new predicament? Share your thoughts in the comments below.